JUSTICE: The Flash & Green Lantern- Old Friends
by MegaSam777
Summary: In this standalone adventure of the Justice League members, meet Barry Allen, a fun-loving superhero who can travel incredibly fast after a scientific accident gives him inhuman powers. This forensic scientist takes to the streets to fight crime but when a friend, Hal Jordan returns to him with an incredible secret, Barry may be forced to be more than he ever thought possible.
1. Superlab

_This is going to work. Finally, Dad and everyone else will see I'm not that idiot who was only dreaming. Tonight, all of that changes…_

Barry Allen opened his eyes and groaned as the metal shard was lodged in his leg. He concentrated on it and saw his leg move faster than he could see. He watched as the bloody shard fell to the ground, leaving the shard to fall on the burnt floor. He looked around and saw some people moving around amongst many dead.

"Oh, God." he said softly as he saw the Collider in pieces and the computers attached to the machine fried.

The new Collider built in Central City was supposedly trying to manipulate the physics and relative forces behind light speed. Barry had been at the demonstration where he witnessed a miniscule black hole form from inside the collider and send out a blast of photons radiated by the machine. The Collider had blown up when a lighting bolt shot down from the glass window above, instantly killing ten other people in the room and Barry was only one of six survivors in the aftermath of the blast.

He held his bloody wound tight and ripped his right lab jacket sleeve completely off, using it as a tourniquet on his leg. He brushed his jacket and winced when he felt glass shards inside his pocket. He groaned in fear as he noticed the chemical compound contained in the vial was now coated on him, creating a burning sensation as the chemicals were absorbed into him. He limped across the now-fiery lab and tried to help the injured as an explosion rocked the entire superlab.

The lab was built on a cliff that supported the inner-structures of the lab and it was built on the outskirts of the city so if anything did go wrong, Central City would be safe. Barry had a part-time job at the Central Laboratory for Technologies while still working for Central City PD as a forensic scientist. Nine months before, he had left Gotham PD to be with Iris, the love of his life. She was all he could picture as he limped across the lab as he felt the ground below crack and sink in. His eyes widened as he knew what was happening. The wires and pipes below the lab had ruptured and the rock underneath was cracking along with it. Another aggressive sink-in made Barry lose his footing, falling to the side of the wall as the entire lab broke apart from its foundation. He looked outside and saw the pipes and high-powered wires breaking up from the ground, one large metal piece shooting through the parking lot and sending a car flying.

"Frank!" Barry yelled as his childhood friend put a bloody hand on his shoulder.

"We need to get out of here. The entire place is going to slide off into the ravine!" Frank Lane told Barry as blood covered his left eye.

"Let's get these people out!" Barry said as the lab sunk once again.

Barry and Frank ran over to the alive members and began to drag them out of the lab. A large light fell from the ceiling and Barry yelled Frank's name as it was about to crush him. Barry dropped his boss's body and felt a strange vibrating sensation in his entire body. He stepped forward and stopped breathing as he looked around, seeing the sparks fly by him in slow motion and the light slowly reaching Frank. He ran after him, pushing Frank away as the light careened into the tile floor.

Barry saw time return back to normal and he looked at Frank's face.

"How did you-?"

* * *

><p>"Barry! Get up already! You're about to be late!" his girlfriend yelled from the first floor of their apartment.<p>

Barry quickly turned his head to the clock and hopped out of bed, using his manipulation of what he now called the Speed Force or super speed. He went to the closet and quickly grabbed an outfit, almost laughing as he heard Iris' voice being slowed down in the Speed Force. He got a smirk on his face as he ran to the alarm clock on his bedside table, seeing a fly buzzing around. Barry reached over at what was normal speed to him, snatching the fly before it realized what had happened. He let it go and laughed out loud, returning his body to normal speed and heading towards the bathroom.

"I'll be down in two minutes!" Barry said from inside the door.

"You can't take a shower in two minutes! Just wash yourself good. The Chief's coming in today, I hear." Iris said as she laid low-fat butter on a slice of toast.

"I'll take that challenge." Barry said quietly to himself as he shut the door.

* * *

><p><strong> one minute and thirty-eight seconds later. . .<strong>

"How do you do it?" Iris asked Barry as he tied his shoes and took a bite of her toast.

"It's a gift, babe. And look," Barry said, tilting his head at the clock.

"Got twenty minutes to spare"

Iris laughed and pushed a strand of short brown hair behind her ear as it fell inside her glasses. Barry gave his girlfriend a quick kiss on the lips and gave her a smile as he put on his leather jacket and made sure his "uniform" wasn't showing. He almost picked up his car keys hanging on the wall beside the door but he shook his head.

"Babe, I'm leaving the car here. I'm feeling like a walk." he said, looking outside at all the early-morning joggers and businessmen.

"Okay, be careful. I love you." Iris said, not looking up from her paper as she waved in Barry's direction.

"Love you too. Have a good day." Barry said with meaning as he shut the door and looked at Central City.

Central City was located eighty miles from Metropolis and the crime rate was vastly different from Gotham all the way on the East Coast. Central City was stuck in the middle between the Big Two, Metropolis and Gotham City. Recently, there had been a vigilante in town, but this once was different. Batman was dark and mysterious but this new hero was light-hearted and actually interacted with the people. Four bank robberies had been botched, a hostage situation was taken care of, and nearly six interstate wrecks had no fatalities due to this _Scarlet Speedster_. He was barely noticed in action as only a quick red and yellow blur could be seen. One photo had been released and it showed the Speedster with yellow energy tracing all over the red suit. The investigators also discovered that the Speedster had two winged ears in his helmet. Just like the Roman God, Mercury, who was the fastest and the messenger of the Gods.

Barry walked down the street and waved to his apartment neighbors as they all did their own things. He knew the city was proud to have someone like the Speedster to watch the streets. Unlike in Gotham, where the Batman was hated and feared even though he had stopped the crazy terrorist known as the Joker two months before. As he continued his stroll to Central PD, he heard a scream far out in the distance followed by a gunshot. His eyes narrowed and he didn't waste a second, running into a nearby alley to unzip his backpack and grab his suit. The red and yellow clothing was made from a synthetic fiber that was able to withstand the vibrations and movements of Barry. The yellow streams held in his energy in a yellowish light. Barry and Frank had discovered that by harnessing some of the energy, Barry could control the electrical impulses in his body and fire them at will. The suit had armor plating for protection, as if he needed it. Within a split-second in real time, Barry had turned into the Speedster and darted off at full speed, running up the side of a large skyscraper, defying gravity as he let out a big smile and yell, leaping off the building and heading towards the scene of the crime.


	2. I'm Late For Work

***The Flash's costume in this universe is the same as it is in the New 52 comics. If you don't know what that looks like, go to Google Images and search Injustice: Gods Among Us- Flash New 52 Skin. It's just a more realistic version of the suit. The yellow lines have energy flowing through them and much later in the Flash's adventures, he will get the armor-like costume in the story mode of the game Injustice: Gods Among Us. **

* * *

><p>"Come here! Don't you run from me!" the sharply dressed man said as he ran after the girl with a pistol.<p>

The woman, a hooker in "ownership" of the pimp, a man only known as CarlKing. He owned three brothel in Central City and made his money selling drugs his hookers muled across the city. The police were mostly unaware of CarlKing as he didn't dress like the stereotypical pimp, wearing a business suit and acting like the average American white male. His hair was always slicked back and he wore thick, horn-rimmed glasses. He fired a couple shots at the hooker in rage, feeling that no one would notice in the slums of the Banks.

"I'll kill you!" he yelled, firing another shot as the hooker tripped over a trash can.

"Snitching on me! I don't think so!" CarlKing yelled, firing two more shots as two of his bouncers came around the corner.

"What's going on?" one of them asked, seeing the hooker trying to get back up.

CarlKing grabbed the bouncer by his hair and tossed him into the wall.

"Go get her! She told the police about the brothel here! Go get her before I shoot again. I've already attracted too much attention." he whispered aggressively.

"Go!" he screamed after a pause.

The two men ran after the woman as she screamed in fear. The men tossed the trash can in the air and one of the bouncers tossed it at her, making her skin her knees on the concrete. The men grabbed her by her shoulders and dragged her back to CarlKing, who was scratching the trigger on his hot pistol. The hooker screamed in fear as CarlKing checked his clip, putting the gun to her head as the men forced her to her knees. She looked up at her pimp and she breathed uneasy as he put the pistol to her head.

"You stupid slut. What did you think was going to happen? Huh? Some hero would just swing by and-?" CarlKing said before he flew into the wall across from him, a molar shooting from his mouth as his head hit the brick.

The two bouncers saw a brief shot of red and yellow before a wind blew by them and the hooker. All three of them looked at each other and jumped as they heard a loud voice from behind him.

"What was his plan? Shoot a girl in the head after he's already been busted? Yeah, that solves everything. But you two..."the voice said as the men turned around to see the Scarlet Speedster walking slowly towards them.

"What's your plan?" he replied, seeing one of the bouncers pulling out a pistol and firing it in his direction.

Barry leaped toward the men and saw the bullet in slow-motion, catching it with his index finger and thumb, turning in the air, seeing the men upside-down and using the bullet's remaining momentum to meet the shooter's leg. Time returned back to normal as Barry's feet hit the ground and he saw the man hit the ground, screaming in pain as blood seeped from the wound. The other man ran towards him and tried to deliver a punch, Barry dodging it without the help of the Speed Force and catching his fist, running at super-speed and running up the wall with him, kicking him inside the Speed Force and knocking him against the wall.

Barry landed on the ground and stood up, the woman wiping a tear from her eye as she saw the Speedster in front of her.

"Ah! You killed me! Ah!" the bouncer screamed as he held his bloody thigh.

"Oh, shut up. You'll live." Barry said, kicking the man in the chest.

He walked over to CarlKing who was drooling in his halfway-unconscious slumber and held him by his collar. He shook his head as the man opened his eyes and he screamed. Barry laughed in amusement and made sure CarlKing was awake before speaking.

"Now, you listen to me. Very carefully." Barry said deeply, looking at the sadistic pimp with his ocean-blue eyes.

"You have to be a whole other level of _weak _to feel it's okay to kill a woman in cold blood. You know that right?" Barry said with anger in his voice as police sirens were heard in the distance.

CarlKing gulped loudly and Barry headbutted him before tossing his body to the ground. He turned to the hooker and knelt down beside her, picking up her chin as she cried silently. He made her look in his eyes and he held her arms up, seeing the many needle marks and cuts.

"Please stop. Make something of your deserve much better than this. Okay?" he said quietly as the police cars circled around the brothel before spotting them in the alley.

"Stop what you're doing and put your hands up!"one of the officers said as he pulled his pistol from its holster.

"I'm sorry,sir," Barry said in a deeper voice, recognizing the officer as a forensic regular at the department.

"But I'm late for work!" he laughed, running past the officers and straightening the cop's hat as he sped off.


	3. Hal Jordan

***Yeah… so I was going to end the Flash story after two chapters just to show you his mindset and the way his powers function but I realized that it was too little of a story and more details needed to be added. As you will see, Barry Allen may be a fun-loving hero of his city, but he's not ****_really _****a superhero until after this adventure. You'll meet a familiar Justice League Member in this story and if you somehow don't know who he is… one: you need to rethink your knowledge on the DC Universe and two: find out everything you can about him. **

**And the costume is almost exactly how it is in the movie… yes, the semi-okay version with Ryan Reynolds. Despite my own dislike for the film, especially the acting and the overall plot, I was a big fan of the suit.. I think it fits better than a space-cop in green spandex and white gloves. The only difference is the mask. It goes all the way around his head like Zorro's mask just for need of change.**

* * *

><p>"Finally… the man of the hour has arrived! Two sugars?" one of the officers asked as Barry carried two cup carriers full of coffee.<p>

"Yes, sir, Brent. Here you are. Where's Betty? Betty's got the red top. This one's for you- yes, thank you. And the rest are just black, Get your own accessories." Barry said with his trademark fast speech as he handed out the coffee to the grabbing officers.

Within twenty seconds, the coffee was all gone and Barry threw the cardboard carriers in the trash. He shook his head as the officers went back to their cubicles and returned to their work. Barry eyed the forensics door and walked towards it, flashing his I.D. badge as he walked inside and was surprised to see a long-forgotten face.

"Hal?" he asked with a smile, running up to his childhood friend and giving him a big hug.

"How are you, Barry? You look great, man." Hal Jordan replied, slapping Barry's stomach.

"Jeez. You really slimmed down. You run a lot?" he continued.

"A hell of a lot more than I used to, man." Barry laughed.

Barry noticed the U.S. Air Force leather jacket and could see the word FERRIS wrapped around his left sleeve. He gave him a gratuitous slap on the back and look at the strange green ring Hal wore on his right middle finger.

"Have you gotten married or something?" Barry asked, tapping the ring slightly.

"Heh. No. But it's the reason I wanted to see you." Hal replied, twisting the heavy ring around his finger as he watched a lab tech from the corner of his eye.

"You look nervous, man. What'd you do? Go to Star and get married to a stripper or something?" Barry asked.

Hal laughed slightly before biting his lip in hesitation.

"Oh shit." Barry replied, his eyes widened.

"No. No. No. It's not anything like that but now… I am part of something bigger."

"Bigger than a Ferris pilot? That's a big deal, man. I got your e-mail a few months back when you got accepted in. Good job." Barry replied, scanning his former best friend and seeing that he was extremely eager to tell him something.

Hal Jordan was always the most popular guy at Garrick High during his and Barry's teenaged years. He was a baseball player, had a scholarship and his whole life planned out until his father was killed during a terrorist attack in Eastern Asia. His father, Martin Jordan took the skies to defend the broken city and was killed when a nuclear bomb was unleashed, destroying the city and damaging the sector of Asia for decades.

After his father's heroic attempt, Hal quit his sports career and joined the Air Force without any questions asked. He quickly became a recognized pilot in the military and received many awards including the medal of valor for saving his base from a sneak attack from a suspicious mercenary-like team. He was honorably discharged and made a test pilot for Ferris Aircraft's newest flight technologies. Hal didn't mind. He was still serving his country with bravery and a sense of patriotism

"Thanks, bud. I really need to talk to you. I've needed to catch up since we last had a real hang-out and I was surprised to see you were closer to me and Carol. Things didn't work out in Gotham?" Hal asked, brushing back his short brown hair as the A.C. blew in his face from the vents above.

"No. I… I met a girl. Finally. Heh heh." Barry said, his cheeks flushed red.

He always found that ironic. His cheeks never went ruby red when running at 700 MPH but if he felt embarrassed, they'd start flushing immediately.

"Really? Barry Allen settles down? Wow." Hal said with his signature pretty boy smile.

"Iris. Iris West. I met her at a conference for international crime and prevention at the Gotham Pavilion Center. We really hit it off and the flights became too expensive every month so I decided to get a job here. I was working at the S.T.A.R. lab here in Central but when that accelerator blew… that ended that. But I was already working here as a forensic expert." Barry explained as Hal sat down at Barry's desk.

"Whoa. Were you… there when the thing exploded?" Hal asked, folding his arms as he kept fondling the emerald ring.

"Yeah. No big deal, though. Let me-um- just send this footprint cast analysis to the chief and we can take an hour or two off. How long you staying in Central?" Barry asked, reaching inside his desk and pulling a beige thick packet that was tied up and sealed.

"However long I need. Got great flight deals now." his friend replied.

"Good. Be right back. I want to hear about that ring, man."

* * *

><p>"Okay, Hal, I trust you and everything… but when someone takes me down a dark alley and stretches… it gives off the wrong vibes." Barry said as he watched his friend stretch his arms and legs.<p>

After leaving the CCPD, Hal and Barry walked down the streets for six blocks until Hal noticed no people were walking around. He told him to enter the alley on the left and prepare to be amazed. Barry wasn't sure what to expect but knew it had to be something pretty amazing involving the strange green ring that Hal couldn't stop paying attention to.

"Okay, Bare. Don't be freaked out and please don't run away." Hal said, ignoring Barry's comment.

"Oh, God. I'm seriously worried now." Barry replied, stepping back a foot and watching as Hal took a deep breath.

He watched in curiosity as the ring began to glow an eerie green, covering Hal's body completely with a steady and electric hum in the air. Before he could speak, the green light briefly blinded him and when his vision returned, a green figure with Hal's body shape stood in front of him. The suit seemed to pulse with green energy like food coloring swirling in a glass of water. A green strip covered Hal's eyes and went completely around his head, his eyes transformed into a milky-white.

His hair was left untouched by the power of the ring and his face remained the same shape, a smile creeping across Hal's face. It wasn't until a few seconds later that Barry was aware that Hal was floating lightly, the tips of his black-green boots inches from the damp ground. He looked in the middle of his chest and saw a strange symbol similar to the black widow spider's insignia that was planted on their backs. Barry's mouth went dry and he was in complete shock.

"What in the hell happened to you?" Barry asked, staring at the ring that was now a part of his glove, safe from being removed.

"It's a long story, man. I needed to tell you. I haven't shown anyone else except the other Lanterns." Hal replied, his voice having a small hum to it at the end of his sentence.

"Lanterns? What?" Barry asked, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Last month, I was driving home from Ferris and I saw a ship-like thing fall from the sky and land about six miles from me. I thought it was just a shooting star and I kept on driving. Well… about five minutes later, my window was completely shattered from a little green object that shot from the air. I grabbed it… and it tossed me from the car and I flew across Coast City until I landed in the middle of the wilderness. That _shooting star_ was actually an alien spaceship. And the pilot was part of a…" Hal explained, giving a loud sigh before continuing.

"An intergalactic space corps that protects different sectors of the universe. We are far from alone, Barry. I've seen hundreds- no, thousands of different species on Oa, the home base for the Green Lanterns. That's what I am now. A Green Lantern. My sector is 2814 and I've been assigned to protect the Solar System and the outer limits of the Milky Way whenever there is danger. Is this hard for you to digest because I can slow down?"

"No. No, I'm fine. But… I want to show _you _something just so I don't look like an idiot. Hold on, I'll let you finish your story." Barry said, still slightly fazed but excited to show his best friend his secret.

Hal crossed his arms once again and watched as within a literal blink of an eye, Barry was gone. He blinked again and turned around, his friend nowhere in sight.

"What in the-?" he began to himself before feeling a tap on his shoulder.

"Hey, hey!" Barry said, now dressed as the Scarlet Speedster in all its red and yellow glory.

Hal laughed out loud and touched his friend's shoulders.

"Yep. What a coincidence." Barry said with a smile, standing proud next to the glowing space enforcer.

"Wow. This is pretty amazing. You can run fast right?" Hal asked, just as shocked as Barry was.

"Yeah. Yeah I can run." Barry laughed.

"Wait…" Hal said, staring at the yellow energy running across the suit.

Barry turned his head and looked at Hal with his hands on his hips.

"That particle accelerator did this, didn't it? How are you alive?"

"I don't know. How are you an alien space cop, Hal?" Barry replied.

"Hm. Good questions. I think we can properly catch up now." Hal said with a smile.


	4. Construct

***In my mind, I can see Michael Rosenbaum as the Flash as he voiced him on the animated Justice League show and has shown interest in the role. While most people will know him as Lex Luthor on the CW's Smallville but now, his hair's grown back and he's fit enough to perfectly play the Scarlet Speedster. For Hal Jordan, I'm going with the man who first started the casting rumors for the Green Lantern film; Chris Pine, who has starred as Captain Kirk in the new Star Trek movies and Jack Ryan in 2014's Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit. He has the cockyness and looks and, in my opinion, the acting chops to showcase Hal's true bravery and quick-thinking that aids him as an intergalactic protector.**

* * *

><p>Throughout the next hour and a half, the two best friends told each other their strange origins and everything they had been through. Hal had fought a starfish-like alien with mind-control abilities on a tropical planet and trained with alien warriors that looked like fish and pigs while Barry fought against high-class criminals with sonic-beam weapons and dealt with a underground hippy who threatened to blow up the subway system. They talked about their girlfriends and the secrets they hid, about their jobs and how they interfered, even random subjects like the suspected Bat-Man and the sightings of possible powered beings like the two of them.<p>

"I still can't believe this." Barry said with a smile, standing on top of a skyscraper with Hal as a light drizzle hit their costumes.

"I know. Do you know all the good we can do together?" Hal asked as he looked at the city.

"So… what can that ring really do?" Barry asked.

"It's attached to my brain and nervous system. If I can think it… the ring can construct it. As long as I'm strong and my willpower is good, it's stable and real." Hal replied, quickly conjuring up a fighter jet that resembled Ferris Aircraft-made ones on the roof.

Barry backed up and laughed loudly, seeing the bright-green object appearing from thin air. He looked at Hal with a puzzled look and leaned forward toward it.

"Go ahead. Get inside. Just don't start it up." Hal quipped as Barry hopped on the wing and laughed at the realness of the ring's construct.

As Barry opened up the hatch and got inside, he was amazed at how real it all felt. He gripped his red gloves against the steering stick and looked out the cockpit window, seeing the barely noticeable glare from the green-tinted glass.

"So… are you a magic warrior or something?" he asked as he jumped out of the construct jet.

"No, actually. I thought the same thing but it's all scientific believe it or not. Our minds are more advanced than we ever could have dreamed of. We can do these sorts of things but most don't have the willpower or personal belief to do so. The ring helps activate the full capacity of our brains and let us literally be… limitless in imagination and critical thinking." Hal explained, dissolving the jet and generating a small-scale model of the human brain with bright green flashes highlighting the areas he was discussing.

"I'm literally speechless, Hal. And that never happens!" Barry laughed, looking as the brain model dissolved into the air.

"That's a first. But I understand. It's really been an adventure. I'll tell you that much. "Hal replied, shaking small drizzled rain from his hair and spotting a fast-moving car that swerved dangerously on the highway bridge.

Barry caught his gaze and saw the car followed by a gunshot, the sound reaching them two seconds later. They looked at each other and gave a smile as three police cars rushed after the shooting vehicle.

"You really wanna try this, Bare?" Hal asked, floating upward and preparing to fly off.

"Sure. This'll be fun." he replied with a smile; backing up to the back corner of the rooftop and running as fast as he could.

He saw Hal watch in amazement in slow motion as he leaped forward and soared through the air, wind flowing by as he targeted the apartment complex ahead of him. He fell 150 feet before his feet touched the side of the brick wall beside him, using the Speed Force to jump ahead of gravity and walk up the side, leaping off as he reached the other wall.

He looked behind himself and saw Hal, covered in a green aurora, flying behind him with great speed. He pushed his legs off from the wall and grunted slightly, letting go of the Speed Force and enjoying the adrenaline rush he felt as his stomach flipped and the wind slid past his small cowl that slid over his head. He was forty feet from the ground before he grabbed hold of the glass pane of a bank building, the special textures inside his boot soles allowing him to walk vertically without gravity taking control too fast. Barry used an electric pulse to shoot him off from the window, launching himself twenty feet into the air, the Scarlet Speedster laughing loudly as he saw Hal approach him and encased him inside a green bubble.

"Holy crap! What is this?" he said loudly, looking around and noticing that the bubble was like a trampoline, his feet and arms stretching through before bouncing back.

"A ring bubble is what I call it. Alright...I'm gonna land you on the road. Make sure you stop him. There's a traffic jam about a half-mile up. Get this guy to stop!" Hal replied, flying to the highway as civilians on the ground stared in disbelief and pointed at the two heroes.

"Let's do it! Drop me!" Barry said with a nod, slightly knocking the bubble and tensing up as Hal dissipated the bubble.

Barry flew ten feet to the ground and landed in a acrobatic pose. He looked up and saw the squad cars approaching him. He began to ran and felt the Speed Force take hold. He could feel the electric impulses flying through his neurons and inner-workings. He gave a smile as he reached 100 MPH and approached the fleeing vehicle. He watched as SMG bullets flew in his direction. He gasped and slid on his knees, the knee-pads not even stopping him as his head scraped briefly against the asphalt. He gave a smile as he flew back up and onto the back of the car, making it swing sternly to the left. Barry grunted and punched straight through the back window, glass showering the gunners and making them back up. Barry leaned over and reached inside, met with a gun to his head. He heard the chamber about to turn and grabbed the gun, letting the gunman fired as the bullets hit the road and the back left tire. The rubber popped off and the car slid out of control as Barry saw the giant green wall that Hal had formed. He jumped from the car and rolled onto the road, standing in front of the police squad cars as the car slammed into the wall.

"Stand back, gentlemen. Everything's fine!" Barry yelled as the officers aimed their guns at him.

"Don't tell us what to do, Flash-boy. We have this under control." the older officer said, putting his weapon down as the giant green wall dissolved and a green figure lowered himself to the ground, his green glow around his body disappearing as he walked over to Barry.

Barry gave a quick nod to his friend and let the officers do their job.

"Who are you supposed to be?" the officer asked as he holstered his pistol.

"I'm Green Lantern. Coast City." Hal said in a voice that was changed by the ring's energy.

"He's on vacation. We're cousins and we were going to go shopping but..." Barry smarted.

"Ha. You're funny. Um... thanks, I guess. See you around?" he asked.

"Definitely, Marcus." Barry said, accidentally letting his real identity out as he knew the man.

As the two colorful heroes flew away, the officer rose an eyebrow and was puzzled beyond belief.


	5. Meet My Mentor

***While it may contradictory to what I've said in the Batman VS Superman story about who I'd want to play Lex Luthor... I loved how Mark Strong portrayed Sinestro and thought he was one of the better cast members of the film. So... yeah... Mark Strong is one of my favorite actors and at least for my vision, he fits Sinestro perfectly.**

* * *

><p>"Wow. That was fun. Nice running, Barry." Hal said as he flew across the city, Barry laying back in the ring bubble.<p>

"Thanks. Nice... green wall thing." Barry said, his remark almost sounding like a question.

Hal shook his head and laughed slightly as the rain stop and the sun began to burst from the dark clouds. As the sun hit their hidden faces, Barry tensed up and looked to the west. Hal saw his gaze and looked at it as well. It was another Green Lantern flying to their location fast. Hal aimed the ring at the Lantern who flying near them and cleared his throat.

"Who's that?" Barry asked, his molecules preparing for a dash.

"Ring. _Identify_." Hal said. The ring that was now fused into the fabric began to glow as Hal aimed for the Lantern.

The ring scanned the figure approaching and gave an audible readout to Hal as the figure came into focus.

"Green Lantern Thaal Sinestro. Space sector 1417." the ring replied in a monotone and androgynous voice.

Hal lowered his ring and gave a small smile. Barry at his friend and lowered his arms.

"A friendly?" he asked.

"Yes. Barry... meet my mentor and fellow soldier, Thaal Sinestro of sector 1417." Hal replied, opening his arms as Sinestro landed on the roof and gave Hal a big hug.

"It's been three months, Jordan. I'm glad to see that the Starros' actions didn't scare you off." Sinestro replied, giving a quick glance at Barry.

Barry silently was disturbed by the Green Lantern's appearance and looked him up and down quickly before giving a brief smile. Sinestro was dressed in an outfit identical to Hal's except for a slightly slimmer physique. His skin was dark-pink in tone and he had a pencil mustache below his nose. His eyes were the same as Hal, milky-white with the mask covering around his eyes and sinking in to the back of his hair. He had a demeanor that dripped with leadership and strength. He look confident, even while just standing with a fellow Lantern. He was definitely an alien and definitely a leader in the Green Lantern Corps.

"Who is your... colorful friend, here?" Sinestro asked, looking at Barry's costume.

"This is Barry Allen. He can run. Fast." Hal replied.

"How fast?" Sinestro asked, looking at the traces of yellow energy flowing through the suit.

"I can manipulate physics and the molecules in my body. I've hit 700 MPH once and I can phase through things if I concentrate hard enough. Probably not that impressive when you can create a freaking jet with your mind but hey... I try." Barry said, speaking fast and sarcastically.

Thaal looked at Hal and sighed.

"What? Don't worry. We can trust him. I've known this man all my life. He's not a threat to the Corps, Thaal." Hal said, holding his mentor's shoulder.

"Yes. I won't say a word. Scout's honor." Barry said, giving a salute.

"Or Lantern's honor. Heh. Heh." he continued with a quick laugh as he put his hand down.

Sinestro turned his head away with any acknowledgement and looked at Hal with deep intent.

"What'd you track me down for? Something wrong with the Lanterns?" Hal asked, walking to the opposite end of the roof while Barry felt like the third wheel.

"It's the Manhunters, Jordan. They've been unleashed once again. The Guardians have asked me to take you to Oa for mission briefing. There are a few too far off to reach contact and Kilowag is in serious medical trouble due to the first attack. We need you to stop the rogues." Sinestro said in a quiet voice.

"Oh, God. How many?" Hal replied, eyeing Barry for a moment before staring at Central City as it continued to run on.

"Maybe 2,000. We can't be sure. They are heading to every Kryptonian outpost in the three main galaxies. There is one in the Arctic." Sinestro said.

"Kryptonians? I thought they were gone after their planet was destroyed almost 30 years ago?" Hal asked, noticing that Barry wanted to get in on the conversation.

"That is true. But during their age of exploration, they sent out research ships all over, hoping to plant new life and start new civilizations. Your planet is host to one of those outposts. We need to leave now, Hal." Sinestro said, preparing his ring.

"Just let me say goodbye to my friend, okay?" Hal said, watching Sinestro nod as he hovered ten feet above the stone roof.

"So... you going on an intergalactic adventure?" Barry asked, crossing his arms.

"Yep, I am. I'll have to talk to you later. I promise I'll be back." Hal replied.

"What's this about Manhunters and Krypto ships in the Antarctic?" his friend asked.

Hal sighed and looked at Barry.

"It's the Arctic. There's a ship in the Arctic. Right here, apparently." Hal explained as a GPS of the Earth appeared from the center of his ring.

Barry rose an eyebrow and focused in on the location. He saw Sinestro giving him a suspicious look and he quickly took his eyes off the ring's GPS hologram. He patted Hal's shoulder and cleared his throat as Hal hovered into the air.

"I'll see you later!" he yelled as Hal shot higher into the cloudy sky.

"Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone!" Hal yelled back, shooting into the atmosphere at an impossible speed; a large green trail fading into the air.

_Hm. Hal thinks he's all big and bad now that he's got a ring and a group of space cops. Now that I've got the coordinates..._ Barry thought to himself as he opened a compartment inside his friction-proof metal belt and pulled out his portable GPS. He had seen the correct numbers and inputted them inside it. He watched as seconds later, the tracer flew across the map and ended up in the middle of nowhere. He had the right location. Within two hours, he could be at the Krypto's ship or whatever sooner than they'd be done flying through space.

_Let's see how bad these Manhunters really are..._


	6. Sick Day

"I know, babe. But I have to do this for the promotion! It'll be done before midnight, okay, Iris?" Barry said to his girlfriend on his cell phone as he was halfway across Canada, stuck between a giant pine tree and a creek bed where water lapped around his soles.

"Barry. This is very short notice. Why the hell do _you_ have to deliver the evidence? Aren't there rookies who love to do that sort of stuff?" Iris responded with aggravation clear in her voice.

"Ugh. They don't trust anyone else with this stuff. I'm the chief forensics man on the force. I need to do this babe. I'll go to Hub City... just one hundred miles away, get on the highway where there's no traffic, and be home before 1. I'm borrowing a department car and they got me covered on gas. I'll be fine. Save some dinner for me." Barry replied.

"Fine..." Iris said with a sad but happy sigh.

"You're going to pay for this."

"Oh... I hope so, babe. Love you." Barry smiled.

"Have a good trip. I love you too, Allen."

Barry stuck his phone in his belt with a smile and looked around at the wilderness. He saw tree leaves blowing in the wind and the chilly air brushing by him. He pulled out the GPS and saw that he was still hundreds of miles away. He still had a ways to go and he hoped to arrive before Hal could steal the show. Just because they had literally unlimited power and a cool suit, didn't mean that the fastest man alive had to sit on the benches. Barry was made to run. And that's what he was going to do.

* * *

><p><span><strong>thirty minutes<strong>** later . . .**

The snowfall had begun and Barry's cowl was covered with frost that had hardened to the eyepieces. It had only been thirty minutes and running over 500 MPH and now, Barry pulled out his GPS and saw that he was sixteen miles from the Krypto spaceship. It wasn't that much of a stretch for him. After receiving his powers, it was hard to doubt anything again. Seriously, who else could run over 700 MPH and shoot electric energy at will? It was hard to accept that he was the only one of his kind in the entire universe but now, his fear set in as he thought about the "Manhunters" that Hal and Sinestro had mentioned. What was a Manhunter and how much of a threat could they possibly be? Barry would find out soon and he wasn't so sure he'd like the surprise.

* * *

><p><span><strong>four minutes later . . .<strong>

_What the hell is that?_ Barry said to himself as he had trekked up a mountain made of pure snow and saw a gigantic metal capsule half-covered in thick snow. It was definitely something non-human. It was huge, silver metallic in color, and looked like it had a giant underbelly beneath the mountains of snow. He cracked his neck and moved on, running across the snow, his speed too fast for gravity to catch up and make his weight sink into the powdery precipitation. He looked around and didn't see any signs of life. He ran across the thick covering of snow that continued to rain down and he stopped as he touched the side of the Krypto craft and found the material extremely thick. He knocked on it and shook his head, not even feeling a vibration. Whatever the craft was made from, it was created from an extremely dense and defensive element that most likely safeguarded its journey through space.

Barry looked around the sides of the ship and saw a strange symbol on a crest-like plague that had a symbol that looked almost exactly like an "S" if it was made by a welder with fancy penmanship. He ran his fingers over the symbol and was in awe. The alien species who had created this had writing that was extremely similar to the English language and just humans in general. Barry had always been an open-minded person but just the fact that he knew that there were several hundred kinds of aliens who were part of something as absurd as a galactic police force made him lose his breath. The universe had just had its doors blown apart and suddenly, a sense of doom impending and no control hit him. For all his speed, his sub-human powers, Barry was nothing compared to Thaal Sinestro or Hal. They had a name: Green Lanterns. What was Barry? Fast-Guy?

_Give me a break. What am I doing here?_ Barry thought to himself as he kept walking around the Krypto spacecraft.

He put his head against the craft and stood still for a moment, hearing the whistling of the wind soaring through his mask. Snow began to coat him and he shivered slightly as he saw the door of the craft suddenly slide open. He backed up and watched while the metal door slid upward and the gears creaked around. He looked around and saw florescent lights pop on down the long hallway of the Krypto craft. He looked around the craft and gave a slow and quiet hum as he tiptoed around the inside of the ship. All along the sides of the hallway, Barry saw various boxes that were most likely control panels or something of a similar design. He ran his fingers around the strange metal and noticed strangely that even the smell of the element was strange; unlike anything on Earth. He didn't want to venture too far within the Krypto craft for fear of being stuck permanently in an alien spaceship but was extremely curious about the inner workings of the ship. As he inched forward, he began to hear loud roaring that burst over the roaring wind and the echo of Barry's actions. He flipped his head around to the door and ran with the Speed Force, causing the metal underneath to dent slightly under Barry's feet. Barry looked outside and his heart skipped more than one beat. Outside, and far into the sky were dozens upon dozens of red figures that were heading toward the Krypto craft. He widened his eyes in fear and realized that they were the threat he was warned about. And the Green Lanterns were nowhere to be seen.

"Where the hell are you, Hal..." Barry said to himself through grit teeth.

He watched the Manhunters fly through the air and push the force of wind from their metallic bodies as they slammed into the ice and shook the ground through their heavy wear. Barry hid behind the corner of the giant door and watched in awe and fear as the Manhunters looked around and scanned the area with disturbing body movements. Their heads were huge and human-shaped, their faces had no human features but three green cylinders that stuck out from all parts of the face, and the head moved around like a hungry bird. The bodies were well over 1,000 pounds, the red head and chest pieces of the Manhunters glowing with power. Every step they took, they conquered the area with fear and nothing but pure power. Mechanized noises vibrated through the freezing air with every miniscule movement and every time they scanned another part of the cold landscape, a garbled mishmash of electronic noise went sent through the bottom cylinder.

Barry peered past the door again but one of the patrolling Manhunters spotted him, firing a blast from a wrist gauntlet at the door. The blast bounced off the alien metal but shook the wall inside the craft. Barry zoomed out of the way and ran outside of the craft, looking in great detail at the Manhunters as he flew up onto the top of the craft as quickly as he could. He dodged several more blasts as the Manhunters fired with near-deadly precision at the speedster. He groaned in pain as a slow blast of powerful blue energy grazed the side of his cowl. It burned through the highly resistent polymer and slightly caused pain on the left side of Barry's head before he rested a second on the top of the Krypto craft. He looked around and saw ten of the Manhunters storm into the craft. Barry knew if they breached the ship, not only would the ship need help, so would the Lanterns. He quickly jumped down from the front of the ship and slammed into a Manhunter trying to enter inside. He watch as the three cylinders sunk into the metal framing of the face and the electronic garbles were high-pitched and aggressive.

The sheer strength of the Manhunter's arms brought Barry down to his knees and he struggled with all his might to have the concentration to vibrate the molecules in his body. Within a split-second, Barry was lose of the Manhunter's grip and he grabbed its head, tossing it into the Krpyto craft's wall. The head crashed against the metal and Barry tried to ripped it off as two Manhunters fired at him. He blocked the blue blasts with the dying body of the android and ran at the two Manhunters at 200 MPH. The android shield was completely flat on the back side but the two shooters flew over 50 feet backward, colliding into the ice with a hard landing. Barry dropped the dead Manhunter and turned around, seeing dozens of more red and green shooters heading for him. He sped toward them at 500 MPH and screamed loudly, punching two dozen of them in all different places all over the body. They flew in different directions at high speeds and hit the ice in a spectacular blast. He looked at all the damage he had caused and laughed, shaking the ice that had been frozen to his cowl.

"What's wrong, hunters? Can't take a hit?" Barry laughed.

He watched the rest of the Manhunters who swarmed around him and were trying to get inside the craft. Barry put his fists up and prepared to use the Speed Force before a bright green blast blinded him briefly and knocked him into the craft. He couldn't open his eyes for a moment but heard the sounds of metal crunching and men and women screaming in various languages. He stood up and breathed heavily before rubbing his eyes with his cold gloves and seeing the heroic Green Lanterns flying around and smashing the Manhunters. He tried to find Hal or Sinestro among the gigantic fight but failed in his attempts. He ran into the fight, taking out a Manhunter by ripping its arm off and smacking another's torso off completely. Before he could land another hit, a green bubble similar to the one used by Hal, enveloped Barry and carried him high into the sky. Barry turned around in the green bubble and looked at the Lantern who had captured him.

"Ah! What the hell are you?" Barry screamed in fear, facing the Lantern in front of him.

"I am Bzzd of Sector 2261! Who are you and why are you here?" the Lantern exclaimed, his voice only heard through the bubble in a monotone male voice.

Bzzd was a giant insect-looking alien who was the size of a human, his ring attached to the small appendage connecting his neck to the rest of his body. He looked like a bee, multiple arms or legs, giant red eyes like a fly, and green swirling around his body like Hal or the rest of the Lanterns' suits. He buzzed around on six small transparent wings that constantly flicked off bits of hard ice and snow.

"I'm Bar- Barry Allen. Of Earth. One of your Lantern guys is my friend, Hal Jordan! He told me about the Manhunters coming here and I wanted to help. I can run. Fast." Barry said quickly as explosions rocked thirty feet below them.

"Fine. I'll find Jordan and ask him for clarification. Can you hold your own?" Bzzd asked.

"Yes! I took out a few before you showed up!" Barry exclaimed, a Manhunter flying by them as two Lanterns quickly chased after them.

"I hope you speak the truth!" Bzzd said before lowering the bubble to ground level and releasing Barry.

Immediately, Barry dodged out of the way, watching as a fast-flying Manhunter shot past him. Barry grabbed his foot and shot into the air, not thinking smart as he soon was over 100 feet in the air. He watched as the Manhunter shot a wrist blast, the shot soaring past them and hitting a blue-skinned Lantern on the ground battlezone. Up above, Barry's heart skipped again as saw twenty Lanterns and Manhunter engaging in an epic dogfight in the icy clouds. Barry grabbed the head of the Manhunter and punched into its skull as hard as he could. His knuckles became soar as the Manhunter ignored Barry's hits, heading straight for a distracted fish-like Lantern who fired green lightning at the androids soaring throughout the sky. Barry ducked as a piece of shoulder skimmed by the Manhunter, its metal skin scratched and exposing his wires and inner workings. Barry tried his best to rip it open but the Manhunter punched the fish Lantern with all its might. The fish Lantern flew through the air and he was knocked out. Barry saw that his ring flew off from the intense force of the hit and he eyed it by using the Speed Force. He knocked his fist hard against the back of the Manhunter's head and it aimed down, the jets in its feet blaring loudly through the Speed Force. He leaped off at the last second, snow sliding past his suit as he watched each flake of snow and ice fly by slowly, his eyes narrowing as he reached out for the ring.

He saw the fish Lantern turn back into his normal self, his scaly yellow skin shown as he flew around like a ragdoll in the air. Barry dived down straight and grabbed him as they flew to the ground. He smacked the fish Lantern hard and made him return to consciousness.

"Hey, Fishface! Put the ring on! Make us fly before you become a nice flounder meal!" Barry yelled, holding the ring and putting it in the Lantern's hand.

The Lantern seemed to mostly understand what Barry was saying and nodded, sliding the ring on his middle finger and flailing himself out as Barry hung onto his back. The fish Lantern's suit was fully formed and he looked at Barry with a scowl.

"The name's Tomar-Re. _Not _fishface, fast one." the Lantern said with a calm voice as they hovered quickly to the ground.

"Sorry!" Barry yelled to Tomar-Re as he zoomed back up into the air.

Barry looked around the battlefield once again and saw Hal flying through the air with a giant axe construct swinging into a bunch of Manhunters. He ran after his friend, punching down a Manhunter before flying high into the air and firing an electrical charge from his suit. The yellow blast covered a Manhunters and fried the circuits in its visual display. Barry hopped over the damaged shell of a dead Manhunter and grabbed its decapitated head, using the Speed Force to aim at a flying android. The damaged head created sparks as it flew through the air and collided with the ankle joint of the flying Manhunter. The android lost its balance and slammed into the ice, the hard elements grinding down the faceplate and breaking off two of the three face cylinders. Barry nodded in pleasure and yelled out Hal's name loudly.

"Barry? What are you doing here?" Hal yelled back after creating a baseball bat and completely destroying three Manhunters with one swing.

"Didn't think you'd have any backup!" Barry responded, executing a backflip as an exploding Manhunter zoomed underneath him.

As Hal hovered down to his friend, Barry gave a small smirk.

_You just can't tell a smartmouth to stay put..._


	7. Krypto the Super Ship

"I couldn't resist, man! I saw the coordinates and I'm tired of chasing the Trickster around the jewelry store! Now... I'm actually a part of something, Hal!" Barry said to his friend as they fought off three Manhunters who ran at them.

Barry ducked at super-fast speed and kicked out the android's leg before sliding across the ice and firing another electric charge at its face. Barry stood up and kicked it in its back before snapping the neck wires and nearly ripping its head off. Across the battlefield, Hal created a wrecking ball and slammed it into an android before flying back to Barry and firing a construct carbine machine gun at the Manhunters. Hal landed on the ground and uppercutted a Manhunter who tried to fire a wrist blast. The blue energy ball flew toward the Krypto ship and ricocheted off, hitting Barry in the back. Barry flew back from the ship, tossing and turning violently until he was picked up by a seaweed species that fired a green blast from one gigantic eye in the middle of its body. Barry shook one of its stringy appendages and sped off, seeing two more Manhunters enter the ship. He grabbed Hal's shoulder and pointed toward the door.

"They keep going in there!" Barry yelled.

"In there? How many do you think?" Hal replied, firing a hatchet from his ring, slicing the attacking Manhunter almost directly in half.

"15 plus. You want me to go in?" Barry replied quickly.

"No. I'm bringing a Lantern with us." Hal said, holding his ring up high and watching a long green stream shoot from the top and fly into the sky.

Barry watched as the stream moved around like a whirlwind of green energy, swirling around and looking like the reflection of surface water underneath. He watched as a familiar Lantern flew down from the clouds and hovered above the ground before twisting his bug head to the left at Hal.

"Yes, Lantern?" Bzzd's voice said through the ring.

"I want you to go with me and my friend here... inside the Kryptonian ship. He says that Manhunters went inside. A lot of them. Thought you could fly by the corners and give us an advantage. Are you with me, Lantern?" Hal said to Bzzd.

"Of course. Are we going to flush them out and lock up the craft?" Bzzd asked.

"That was the plan." Hal answered, firing a quick blast at a damaged Manhunter.

Bzzd turned to Barry and nodded in an odd way before leading the charge inside the spacecraft. Hal and Barry broke into a quick jog as Bzzd flapped his transperent wings and turned vertical as he darted through the long hallways. Barry struggled to see and shook his head for a moment before blinking rapidly. Hal caught his strange movements and cleared his throat as he looked at his friend.

"You okay? All of this too much for you?" he asked.

"No... the uh... the Speed Force I use to move fast... it allows me to alter my perception. My eyes open up and I can see pretty well in the dark. Just an added bonus I guess of being struck by lightning." Barry laughed as his irises opened wide and the dark corridors became light in color and detail.

"I hear some sounds down this hallway. Can you run ahead and see what is going on?" Bzzd asked, hovering in front of the two men as his collar ring glowed bright green.

"Sure. I'll speed ahead and tell you how many. But first, you have to tell what they're after exactly. What is going on here, Hal?" Barry said quietly.

"We can discuss this later, Bare. Just hurry up and find out how many are still there. I promise to tell you all the details after we win." Hal replied.

"No. I'm not moving an inch until you explain what these robots want with the Krypto the super ship. Just a paragraph of exposition. That's seriously all I'm asking. You know how fast I can run, Hal. Just tell me. Please? Please?" Barry spat out with fierce speed.

"Ugh! Fine. The Kryptonians were a race of people on Earth like us but they took some of the original Lanterns out, stealing their equipment and supplies. They advanced far beyond what we've accomplished and they left. But lucky for us, some stayed. They are the ancestors of... us. You got me?" Hal explained as fast as he could.

"Anyhow... thousands of years pass and the Kryptonians traveled far out into space... they found a planet called Krypton and settled there. Eventually the planet was destroyed but they had sent out hundreds of beacon ships which were made to be used for colonization. This is one of those ships. Anyhow, the Manhunters harvest a type of element we in the galaxy call Kryptoni- it's too hard to explain but basically, these Manhunters are fueled by the element and its found in great quantities in these beacon ships. If those Manhunters get to it, they could hurt a lot of people. Okay?" Hal continued without wasting a breath.

"Wow. So everything we learned in bible school was wrong?" Barry asked with wide eyes... and not from the perception change.

"I don't know. Kind of." Hal sighed, rubbing his mask and eyes in agony.

"Oh my God, Hal. Is there a... God?"

"Yes, I guess! I mean, I don't know... it's too complicated, even the Guardians aren't sure about it..."

"The who?" Barry asked, confused once again.

"Nevermind. Just go!"

"Fine. Just one more question." Barry said through grit teeth while putting his index finger up.

"What?" Hal said, nearly yelling.

"How do you know all his stuff? They have a book or something?"

"No. The ring gives me unlimited knowledge about the history of the Lanterns and essentially the universe. Now go, dammit!" Hal said, shoving his friend ahead in the hallway.

"Hey!" Barry said sharply.

"Give me a ring." he continued with an open hand.

"Go!"


	8. In A Flash

***Just in case you aren't that familiar with the Green Lantern characters, look them up; all of the ones mentioned are real and I chose them because they are among my personal favorites since I was a kid.**

* * *

><p>Barry ran at incredible speeds, running up the side of a metal wall as he jumped across a gap that was really a doorway. He saw that lights had been activated when he crossed a different section of the craft. He stopped and slid across the floor, stopping himself with a sharp pullback with the help of his gloved hands. He looked around and listened closely, hearing the loud footsteps that echoed across the large expanse of the Krypto craft. Barry sniffed the air and smelled something organic and musty. He eyed a small bit of metal on the ground and picked it up, covered in a viscous brown liquid that oozed to the cold floor.<p>

"Ew. That's just plain nasty. I don't care if you _are_ a cool robot." he said to himself.

"And why brown?"

He continued to run for twenty seconds before stopping suddenly, grabbing the side of the wall to his left when a loud thump vibrated through his body. He stopped breathing, completely cutting off any outside energy that might be noticeable by the Manhunters. He narrowed his eyes and leaned past the corner, seeing a breathtaking sight.

Surrounded by dozens of damaged crates were twenty Manhunters, taking the bright green crystals from their cases inside the metal crates and crushing them to dust. He watched as the Manhunters groaned with electric squeals, the green dust being sucked into small vacuum tubes inside their fingertips. Barry watched as the three cylinders glowed with power and their bodies hummed louder with movement faster than before. He was about to rush back to the Lanterns but suddenly had a quick thought that what if they all received the element before the Lanterns could take them out? Then, the Manhunters would be near unstoppable. Barry could be the savior of Earth. Not for the glory, but for Iris. For the whole of Central City and the rest of the world. He took a deep breath and spotted a loose bar-like contraption sticking out from the right side of the wall. He rose an eyebrow and rushed over to it, ripping it off from its metal base and waving it in front of himself.

"Hey, Mannies! Ever heard of baseball?" he asked in a sarcastic tone, pushing out a small ball of electric energy and launching it from the bar.

The blast hit one of the Manhunters in the face with extreme force. Metal shot off from his display and all the cylinders were now in several pieces as the android fell. Barry ran at the Manhunters at 200 MPH, hitting one of them in the face with the bar while slicing another with his gauntlets. The slice poured more of the brown liquid onto the ground and Barry nearly gagged from the sight and smell of it. He hopped off the chest of a powered-up Manhunter and knocked his knees into another's head. The Manhunter stumbled back and tripped over an empty crate while Barry took on ten at a time. He was hit from all sides in doses of painful punches and the blast from their wrist weapons. He cried out loudly in pain as a powered-up Manhunter kicked him hard in the back, sending him flying into the wall over 40 feet away. He groaned in pain and saw the giant android wave coming for him.

"Ugh... this wasn't the best idea." he admitted to himself as he wiped a bit of blood from his busted lip.

He fired a giant bolt of yellow energy at the crowd of robots and screamed loudly, using almost every ounce of strength he had to take them down. He watched a various Manhunters fell to the ground from energy overload. Before he could block an attack, a Kryptonite-infused Manhunter grabbed him by his chest and punched him hard in the chest. Barry felt a rib break and groaned loudly after hearing the sharp and painful crack. The Manhunter head butted him and nearly knocked the Speedster out before he hit the ground. The sharp pain of broken bone poking a vital organ made Barry wince visibly. He shook the pain away with a head shake and turned around, met with a fierce kick by a regular Manhunter. He nearly caught the foot but flipped backwards twice into some of the empty crates. He stood up with all his might and spit blood onto the ground before running up to the Manhunter and punching him repeatedly in the stomach area. Only dents formed and the Manhunter fired a blast right by Barry's face, using the Speed Force to avoid the blast and kicking out its knee. He picked up the discarded bar and watched as four Manhunters cornered him. He cracked his neck and with a quick wince, jumped high into the air and smacked the bar across all their heads. He landed hard and dug the bar into the floor to regain footing.

He flipped the bar between his hands and was surprised when he could deflect the blasts of the androids' wrist blasters. He raised an eyebrow and ran at them, deflecting blue energy shapes, flying off the metal and dissipating shortly after connecting. While sliding across the floor, Barry dodged a blast that nearly hit his private area and he laughed as he broke the leg of the attacking Manhunter. He leaped up and widened his eyes, seeing all of the Manhunters firing in unison. He struggled to keep up with the pace of the blasts which traveled at 3000 feet per second. Even with the Speed Force, Barry was feeling the despair of missing a blast and possibly ending his life. He flung the bar at super fast speeds and could feel the intense wind that came from the twirling of the bar. Barry ran at the group of alien androids and yelled in anger and frustration. The bar went through three of the Manhunters and Barry picked them up before gravity could react to his actions. The three robots flew far into the room of the Kryptonian craft and Barry smiled in success. He was about to strike again before a green blast shot two Manhunters brutally into the wall.

"Need a hand? Glad you kept us up to date, Barry!" Hal said, flying into the room with a construct sword.

"Sorry! I just couldn't help it! They've already sucked in that green rock stuff! These things are strong!" Barry replied, flipping the bar around in an expertise move.

He watched as Bzzd flew in behind him and began striking the Manhunters with his body, his sharp stinger of sorts stabbing the metal. Hal protected Barry from a blast with the construct sword and Barry returned the favor with a brief salute. He zoomed across the room to the damaged androids and smashed the insides of their inner workings with quick and brutal head stomps that occurred in three seconds. He saw a Manhunter grab Bzzd and pull on his wings. Barry gave a scowl when he heard the Lantern squeal in pain and tossed the bar as hard as he could in their direction. Unseen with sound-breaking speed, the bar shot straight through the Manhunter's head and stick into the metal wall behind them. Bzzd flew from the defunct robot's grip and fired a blast from his ring while looking at Barry with his giant bug eyes.

"Don't mention it, Buzzy." Barry said with a nod before judo kicking a Manhunter in the chest.

"More Lanterns should be coming in. We need to close off the Kryptonite from them. There's 13 left!" Hal said, doing a backflip on his feet and slashing his sword against two incoming androids.

"I got it!" Barry said, running for the crates of crushed and encased green rock.

He slowed down time and quickly gathered all the dust and rocks he could within twenty-seven seconds, grabbing shards from Manhunters' hungry hands and from the metal ground. He looked at the cases they were carried in for a moment, noticing the continuing fancy metal work that clearly gave off the alien signature. He took a deep breath and easily pushed a Manhunter out of the way, shoving the ton-and-a-half brute over a fallen crate. He started spinning his right fist in a circular motion and saw his hand vibrate and spin faster than he could see. He watched as the small dust particles and rocks started levitating off of the ground, getting caught in the vortex he was creating. He smiled as his plan worked and he stood up, opening a crate and letting the swirling elements fall into the case before closing it. He continued the same action over and over again as more Lanterns flooded inside the huge room and did their universal duty.

Hal continued to fight off the Manhunters as one of his mentors, Tomar-Re came over to help him. He looked at Hal with his fish-like beak and eyes that had eyelids that closed from the sides rather than man's way of blinking.

"Yes, Tomar-Re?" Hal asked, firing a spray of gunfire from his construct of a 30's-era machine gun.

"Your friend is very... interesting. Brave but very- and I mean _very_ cocky." the mentor responded as the noise quieted down and the Manhunters' number diminished to a single digit.

"Believe me, I know. But he's a smart and brave human. He has a lot more heart than me as well. He means well, Tomar-Re. He gets the job done. I promise you that." Hal said, finishing off a Manhunter with one trigger press of his gun.

"I can tell. His arrogance to any kind of command _is_ astonishing." Sinestro said, flying behind Hal as the final Manhunter was defeated.

"Leave him be, Thaal. He just wanted to help. And luckily, he knew what he was doing." Hal replied with an annoyed sigh.

"That may be. But he is not a Lantern and we cannot accept outside help. You know our rules, Jordan." Sinestro said, hovering once again and leaving Hal as he joined the immediate clean-up crew.

As Hal looked up, he saw Barry shaking his hands erratically before spotting Hal's gaze and waving at him with a wide smile. Hal returned a toothless gesture and motioned for him to come near. He looked at Tomar-Re with a look that read 'please leave' and the alien left with a respectful nod. While walking over to him, Barry clicked his tongue and held his hands up with a small laugh.

"Don't say anything, man. I know what they were talking about and I'm proud to go. It's been a hell of a day. I reconnected with my best friend, found out he was part of a galaxy-protecting police force, and busted up a few alien robots. 'Nuff said." Barry quipped while circling Hal.

"Please don't take it personal, man. The Corps has a certain way of doing things but honestly... I think it's because their jealous of what you can do." Hal said with a wink.

"Oh, yeah. I knew that after your buddy Sinestro's face got all red when he first saw me." Barry smarted before laughing.

Hal sighed and rubbed his head.

"So, you're okay with this?" he asked.

"Like I said... I'm fine. Just one question, though."

"What?"

"What's going to happen to all this? The Krypto ship and all these Manhunters?"

"We'll do a cleanup and... leave. We aren't allowed to interfere with another race's objects unless there is a direct order to do so. We need to leave this craft the exact way we left it. It sucks but that the Lantern Corps' policy." Hal answered.

"Well on that note... I think that I'll be heading out. Is that okay? My girlfriend is having a cow because I told her I was on a business trip." Barry said.

"Ugh... Barry..." Hal said, rubbing his eyes in disappointment.

"I know that's bad but it's not like I can just tell her what I am. You know?"

"Why not?"

"Yeah... why not?" Bzzd said suddenly, buzzing up behind Barry.

"Well... I don't know, actually..." Barry replied, slightly shaken by Bzzd's presence.

Hal smiled when he saw Barry puzzled and cleared his throat.

"Do you trust her?" he asked.

"Of course, Hal. I love this girl more than anything. But... I don't know if she could trust me." his friend replied, Bzzd still hovering around him.

"Maybe she'll just have to learn..." Hal replied as Barry finished his thought.

_Maybe..._

"Or maybe... I could use you as proof. Would you mind that?" Barry asked with a smile.

* * *

><p><span><strong>one hour later. . .<strong>

"Barry? Is that you?" Iris yelled from her bed upstairs as she heard the door open and close on the 1st floor.

"Yes, hon. Come down here, please. Just for a moment." Barry yelled from downstairs.

Iris groaned in a half-sleep daze and yawned loudly as she flipped the covers off herself and stomped down the stairs. Her eyes were halfway shut from a bright-green light that covered the living room. She held her hand up and cleared her throat, seeing Barry on the couch but with something on his head.

"Could you turn off light or whatever that thing is, please? I can't see a thing."

Iris shrieked briefly as she saw the holder of the green light rise high above the desk it sat on and move around like a fly. She held her hands over her mouth and slammed herself against the wall in fear and confusion. She watched as Barry stood up and turned on the light beside the couch. She was puzzled for a moment before realizing what she was witnessing.

"This isn't a joke, is it?" she asked in a fearful voice.

"Nope. It's me, babe. I'm the Scarlet Speedster of Central City! Isn't it cool?" Barry answered with a laugh.

He motioned toward Iris but she screamed again as another green light peered out from behind her. She turned around and saw a man with dark brown hair, a chiseled jaw, and a glowing green suit that pulsed with energy. Iris was speechless. As Barry turned on the main light in the room, Iris looked around and fully processed the entire situation. There were two green figures in her apartment. One resembled a man and the other was a fly the size of a small child.

"Barry? What is going on? Is this a dream?" Iris asked, sitting down on the couch while taking short yet powerful breaths.

For all the speed and energy he had inside him, when it came to Iris, everything slowed down; his vision, his thought process, and his heart. She deserved to know the truth. Barry had given up a job in his home place to move in with her and provide a life for the two of them. It was time to let the truth out and unfortunately, this particular problem wouldn't be over in a flash.

**_THE END . . .**


End file.
